And now for our dissident friends over in Alpha Centauri/Proxima...
This is what I've titled the "Starbane," a nod to the inspiration for the fighter:
http://www.gearsonline.net/gallforce/eternal/mecha/bain.htmlNote that "Bain" is supposed to sound like "bine," but there you go...
The idea of the craft (to date) is that it is a good deal older than the Feathers and was placed into service before plasma cannons on starfighters were commonplace. As such, it uses a pair of gatling mass drivers as its primary weapons - these would have a superior range to plasma and have a high volume of fire, but (a.) ammunition is finite and (b.) they're not too effective against shields (I'd like to think plasma weapons are good at dissipating shields, while projectiles tend to be diverted/deflected). They are wicked against ship hulls, however...
However, the fighter has been updated to the point where its upper missile cells can mount copious quantities of plasma missiles. On the ventral surface of the fusalage is another antiquated weapon system - the Rocket Artillery Pod. This is a launcher fed by a large internal magazine which is capable of deploying large swarms of medium-yield unguided rockets, which again are limited in effectiveness vs. shileding but are lethal against ship hulls.
Another upgrade to the craft is augmented shileding, which is comparable to the shileding about the Feather 1, for example. The hull of the fighter was always fairly durable as a whole, making the fighter a tough one to crack. However, it's not all that maneuverable, being massive as it is and having a fairly high moment of inertia...
...But it is FAST. A high power-to-mass ratio makes the fighter quite tough to catch. When properly managed, this fighter is quite a problem for Synthesis forces... Which makes it popular with mercenaries, pirates, privateers, and local militaries.
Now, none of the above data is confirmed until Quanto makes it so, or at all. Or even an element in Stellar Assault, for that matter. If this is a go, I'll try and get some quick profile drawings in order - until then, there you go.